United pilots, flight attendants pick St. Paddy's Day to picket Aer Lingus venture

(Crain's) -- United Airlines pilots and flight attendants staged a St. Patrick's Day protest Wednesday, picketing the airline's downtown headquarters over a new joint venture with Irish carrier Aer Lingus Group PLC.

(Crain's) -- United Airlines pilots and flight attendants staged a St. Patrick's Day protest Wednesday, picketing the airline's downtown headquarters over a new joint venture with Irish carrier Aer Lingus Group PLC.

Under the arrangement, the two airlines will begin service between Washington, D.C., and Madrid on March 28.

Unlike a typical code-share agreement, the flying won't be shared by the two carriers. Instead, the flights will be staffed by Aer Lingus crew and flown on an Aer Lingus aircraft.

United, which will own 50% of the joint venture, will sell and market the flights instead of flying them. Traditional arrangements between airlines split revenue according to how much of the flying they do on the shared route.

"United customers should have United pilots," said Capt. Wendy Morse, who chairs the Air Line Pilots Assn. unit that represents United pilots. "Outsourcing your flying isn't the solution in this industry. We need to grow this airline. I think they'll realize this is a flawed plan."

A United spokeswoman said the agreement with Aer Lingus allows United to fly a route that it could not otherwise afford to operate.

"It creates 125 U.S.-based jobs that didn't exist previously, including pilots and flight attendants," she said. "It brings more customers through our domestic network. Seventy-five percent of the customers (on the Madrid route) will originate from a United-branded flight."

United flight attendants and pilots fear the joint venture will lead to outsourcing more jobs as it grows beyond the Dulles-Madrid route. Pilots from other airlines, including United partner Continental Airlines, also joined the picket line.

A United spokeswoman declined to speculate on long-term plans for the joint venture.

"We need to evaluate this flight first," she said.

When the venture was announced last year, Air Lingus said "it is anticipated that additional routes may be made available for sale during 2010 to commence operation in summer 2011."